Because of their outstanding performance, Yunmo promoted twenty soldiers who performed well in this bandit suppression campaign, including Hu Zi.
He was promoted to sergeant and put in charge of a team of one hundred men.
This reward greatly increased the soldiers' enthusiasm and sense of belonging.
Cui Gensheng, who also received a reward of one or two taels of silver, went down the mountain and into the city the next day with the silver in his pocket.
Through her own efforts, Yu Niang was allocated a small courtyard with three main rooms.
As soon as she had a holiday, she and her son busied themselves cleaning the house.
Cui Gensheng stood outside the courtyard gate, not daring to step inside for a long time. Yu Niang had told him before that the county government had allocated her a house.
Yu Niang came out carrying a basin of water. When she saw him, a strange look flashed in her eyes. "Why are you here? Come in and sit down."
"No need." Cui Gensheng reached into his pocket and took out some silver. "The horse farm gave me a year-end bonus, I'm bringing it to you."
Yu Niang put down the basin of water, wiped her hands clean, and took the silver wrapped in rags from him.
"I'll give you a hundred coins to keep for spending money."
She was about to go inside to find him some coins when she said that.
Cui Gensheng quickly stopped her, "Yu Niang, no need, I have food and lodging on the mountain, and I don't have anywhere to spend money, you can keep it."
He caught a glimpse of a pair of clear eyes secretly watching him from inside the main room; it was their son. Cui Gensheng felt somewhat embarrassed.
“The horse farm can’t be left unattended. I… I’ll head back now.” Cui Gensheng turned to leave.
Seeing his ill-fitting, patched-up clothes, Yu Niang felt guilty and quickly called out to him.
"I'll get you some cloth and make you two sets of clothes later."
"Hey, if you're busy, don't do it. I have clothes to wear."
Cui Gensheng's eyes reddened, and he walked away without looking back.
Yu Niang turned around and met her son's clear eyes.
"Mom, when I grow up I can earn money for you too," Gou Dan said, clenching his little fist.
Yu Niang smiled and pinched his increasingly round little face, "Okay, Mom is waiting for Gou Dan to earn money for Mom."
After putting away the money, the mother and son continued cleaning the house.
Dongwang Village
After bringing the three villagers back from the mountain, in order to avoid such trouble in the future, the village chief convened a meeting of the villagers and strictly forbade them from going up the mountain where the military camp was located to collect firewood.
Of the three villagers who were brought back, the young man who had been pointed at with a knife by Hu Zi was deep in thought and ignored the village chief's words.
"Zhou Yong, did you hear me?" the village chief roared in exasperation.
He had already shouted several times, but this young man was rebellious and unrepentant, ignoring his words and ignoring them. Sooner or later, he would cause a great disaster.
Seeing Zhou Yong lost in thought, the young man next to him nudged him with his elbow, "Zhou Yong, the village chief is calling you!"
Zhou Yong snapped out of his daze, his eyes gleaming with determination.
"Village chief, I want to join the army!"
"What? Say it again?"
The village chief was momentarily stunned by his nonsensical words.
“I said I wanted to join the army,” Zhou Yong repeated.
As soon as he finished speaking, the villagers looked at each other with expressions of disbelief.
"Son, what's wrong with you?" Zhou Yong's mother thought he was possessed by an evil spirit.
Everyone knows that enlisting in the army in the South means you'll never come back. It's bad enough that the food is bad, but I've heard that the military leaders often beat their soldiers for no reason, and their monthly pay is either delayed or maliciously withheld.
Therefore, the villagers believed that only someone who had lost their mind would join the army.
Seeing the incredulous expressions on the villagers' faces, and knowing his exceptional hearing, Zhou Yong recalled the conversation he overheard of the soldiers on the mountain earlier that day. His restless heart could no longer be contained.
He said, "I'm going to Longtan to join the army. I heard the soldiers say today..."
Zhou Yong told the villagers exactly what he had heard Hu Zi and the others say that day.
Upon hearing this news, the entire scene became so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
It took a while for someone to realize what was happening. They asked the other two people, who had slightly worse hearing, but they could still make out about 80-90% of what was being said.
"How do you know they're still hiring?" one villager asked, intrigued.
Zhou Yong said, "After the New Year, I'll go to the county government office to inquire."
"Who knows if they'll be like the Zhong family, putting on a show for us."
Some villagers worry that the words of officials are the least trustworthy, and that they might be deceived and then reveal a completely different side of themselves.
"You didn't receive your wages for harvesting sugarcane?" The village chief glanced at the man, speaking without thinking.
Zhou Yong: "If it weren't for the Lord of Longtan City, would we have been able to settle down here?"
Most of the villagers are still very simple and honest, and after he said that, the doubts subsided.
"This is the first time in over a decade that I've bought meat this cheap."
Some villagers immediately remembered the meat they had at home that they had preserved in a basin with salt to eat during the Lunar New Year.
"Have you noticed that salt is much cheaper in Longtan County than elsewhere?" a villager whispered.
The village chief looked at Zhou Yong and asked, "Do you know how much silver they receive each month?"
"Last time I heard from villagers in other villages in the county town that they buy meat for 600 coins a month, and there are also extra benefits during festivals, as well as clothes and shoes for all seasons."
Zhou Yong was tempted after hearing the gist of the story last time. There were five brothers in his family, but only the eldest brother was married. The second and third brothers were over twenty years old and still hadn't gotten married.
When they arrived in Longtan, the whole family worked to help harvest sugarcane, and they finally managed to save up a few hundred coins.
This was the most money their family had saved in four or five years.
Finally, the villagers unanimously decided that they would go to the Longtan County government office to inquire about conscription after the New Year.
"Dad, remember to tell his aunt and sister-in-law in the next village later."
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